May 2nd Major News Events

1938 U.S.A. Ella Fitzgerald

1938 : Ella Fitzgerald recorded "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" with Chick Webb’s band. Fitzgerald soon became known as "The First Lady of Song" and is one of the most successful and influential jazz artists in history.

1945 Germany Fall Of Berlin

1945 : Russia announced the fall of Berlin and the capture of 70,000 Germans who had surrendered.

1946 U.S.A. Alcatraz

1946 : Alcatraz convicts fought a raging gun battle with guards at the rock for their freedom after they seized the guns from the armory and passed them out to fellow prisoners, one guard has been killed and 3 injured. The Guards still do not have control of the Island fully and the fighting continues.

1966 Cambodia

1966 : The United States has admitted firing an artillery barrage into Neutralist Cambodia as part of an offensive against Viet Cong troops, the B52 bombers were sent from Guam to help slow the north Vietnamese offensive.

Born This Day In History 2nd May

Celebrating Birthday Today

The Rock

Born: Dwayne Johnson, May 2nd, 1972, Hayward, California

Known For : The "Most Electrifying Man in Sports-Entertainment" was born in Hayward, but grew up attending the Washington Intermediate School and President William McKinley High School in Hawaii. Dwayne's father, who was a professional wrestler from Canada, relocated to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania [note that both he and Chuck Bednarik both grew up in Bethlehem]. He played football at school, before attending the University of Miami, but he forewent a career in football after a 1995 back injury, and chose to pursue a wrestling career. Originally called Flex Kavanah in the U.S.W.A., he went on to perform as Rocky Maivia, and join the Corporation wrestling group. He mixed his W.E.E. career with work in movies: with 2001's the Mummy Returns and 2002's Scorpion King. He continues to make films and television appearances, and has two daughters.

1971 U.S.A. Anti War demonstrators

1971 : Anti War demonstrators in the Capitol were foiled by mass arrests from flying squads of police using tear gas and batons to break up large crowds of protesters and arrested over 6000 protesters who were trying to stop traffic flowing in the capitol, in the afternoon a large number of National Guards and Army and Marines to help with controlling the demonstrations.

1980 U.S.A. Unemployment 7%

1980 : It was announced that current unemployment figures are now 7% of the workforce which is the highest since the recession in 1976 / 1977, and in some areas of the country, in Michigan for example the rate is now 12% and which can be described as a labor market recession.

1982 Falkland Islands Argentina's Belgrano Sunk

1982 : The General Belgrano in the Argentine navy is struck by two Tigerfish torpedoes from HMS Conqueror and sunk. The sinking of The Belgrano is controversial because the ship was outside the 200-mile total exclusion zone. The Belgrano had a complement of about 1,000 men and 368 lives were lost in the sinking.

1997 England Tony Blair

1997 : After a landslide victory in British elections Tony Blair became Britain's youngest prime minister in 185 years.

1997 Egypt Sandstorm

1997 : A sandstorm caused by 60 MPH winds sweeps across much of Egypt, causing widespread damage to buildings and killing 12 people.

2001 U.S.A. Sotheby's and Christies

2001 : The former chairmen of Sotheby's and Christies are charged by a federal jury in the United States on charges of conspiring to overcharge its customers with commission rates because the chairmen of the two apparently rival auction houses had a secret deal to fix commission rates.

2003 U.S.A. Jayson Blair

2003 : Jayson Blair resigns from The New York Times following the blatant plagiarism of an article written by San Antonio Express-News reporter Macarena Hernandez. In a subsequent internal investigation led by assistant managing editor Allan Siegal it was discovered that 36 of the 73 national news stories Blair had written since October 2002 were suspect, ranging from fabrications to copying stories from other sources.

2007 Iraq Withdrawal Vetoed

2007 : President Bush vetoed a proposal to withdraw troops from Iraq. The Congressional bill linked a timetable for the withdrawal of troops to funding for the war. The veto was only the second time President Bush used that power, despite rejecting the bill he indicated that a compromise should be made.

2008 U.S.A. Miley Cyrus / Hannah Montana

2008 : Following a number of photographs appearing in the Vanity Fair magazine which depicted Miley Cyrus apparently topless, she has admitted she is "embarrassed" and apologized to her fans who have taken offence explaining the photo shoot was "supposed to be 'artistic' "

2008 Yemen Fifteen Killed in Mosque Bombing

2008 : Fifteen people were killed when a bomb was set off at a mosque in Saada City, Yemen. Another fifty-five people were hurt in the blast. The region experienced conflict in 2004 after Shia rebels clashed with the government that led to continued attacks in the region.

2010 Nepal Maoists Stage Strike

2010 : The Maoist opposition party in Nepal began a strike in the capital of the country, designed to force the resignation of the government. Thousands of Maoist supporters arrived in Katmandu and effectively shut down businesses and daily life in the country hoping to cause enough disruption to displace the current government which they believed did not represent the people.

2005 : The United States monitored apparent military tests in North Korea. Reports had been that the North Korean military fired short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan.

2012 Burma Aung San Suu Kyi Sworn Into Parliament

2012 : Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in as a member of the country's parliament. This would mark the first time that the leader had officially held public office.

2012 Edvard Munch's "The Scream" Sells for $120 Million

2012 : The iconic painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, "The Scream", was sold for a record $120 million at auction at Sotheby's in New York to an unnamed buyer. The work was more highly valued than the other three versions as it is believed to be brighter and contains a poem written by Munch on the frame.

2013 Rhode Island Legalizes Gay Marriage

2013 : Rhode Island became the tenth state in the United States to legalized gay marriage after Governor Lincoln Chafee signed the bill into law. Gay rights supporters celebrated the news and the first weddings were scheduled to start on August 1 once the law came into effect.